Virtual reality is a three dimensional computer-generated interface that allows users to see, move through and interact with information displayed as a three dimensional world. The three dimensional world is called a virtual reality world or Cyberspace. For example, a virtual reality world could be the inside of a building or a golf course. The virtual reality world is displayed using sophisticated output devices, such as high resolution color screens or a headset with a monitor in front of each eye to give the user the illusion that he or she is situated in the virtual reality world.
The virtual reality world can display real world objects. For example, a chair could be displayed in a virtual reality world, representing a chair in the real world and appearing to have all the physical properties of a real world chair. In such a virtual reality world, the user views and interacts with the display as if the user was in the real world.
The virtual reality world is usually generated using a high speed computer processor and specialized graphics hardware. The computer processor and graphics hardware can be controlled by a program, called a virtual reality generator, to create and continuously modify a virtual reality world and to simulate movement through the virtual reality world.
Virtual reality is regarded as having three features, namely immersion, navigation and interaction. Immersion is the use of sophisticated output devices to create the illusion of being inside the computer generated virtual reality world. For example, a head mounted display with a high resolution two dimensional color monitor in front of each eye can be used along with advanced three dimensional display techniques to create the illusion to the user that the user is inside the computer generated display. Alternatively, a high resolution color display, such as the NEC brand 20 inch monitor could be used "immerse" the user into the virtual reality world.
The second feature of virtual reality is the ability of the user to navigate through the virtual reality world. For example, the virtual reality generator could create a computer module of a molecule or a city and enable the user to move through the molecule or city. The user can navigate through the virtual reality world using control devices, such as a trackball or spaceball, an electronic dataglove, a magnetic head position tracker, a keyboard, a joystick or a steering wheel. The use of a magnetic head position tracker and dataglove creates a high feeling of immersion and grants the user a great power of navigation (for example, by gestures) through a virtual reality environment.
The third feature of virtual reality, interaction, is the ability of the user to interact with and control the virtual reality world. For example, a user can specify the parameters that define and metaphors that comprise the virtual reality world. Navigation and interaction are closely related concepts.
Virtual reality environments can be created using object-oriented libraries of functions. These functions can be inserted into a computer program for rapid prototyping to easily complete application development. A well known example of an object-oriented library of functions is that created by the Sense8 Corporation of Sausalito, California, called the WorldToolKit library.
The WorldToolKit library is a library of C routines that lets a developer rapidly and easily build real-time three dimensional simulations and virtual world applications that run on desktop computers. The WorldToolKit library integrates a simulation manager, a real-time rendering pipeline, an object manager, texturing functions, animation sequences, input sensors, lights and graphics display devices in a flexible object-oriented library. The WorldToolKit library's texturing functions enable the development of applications with real-time texture mapping. Video-realistic textures can be applied to object surfaces in any orientation and scale, enabling the creation of compelling and lifelike virtual reality worlds. The WorldToolKit library has drivers for many popular control devices and output devices so that the user can configure input and output. Head-tracking, h gesture tracking and object manipulation are accomplished by coupling sensors to graphical objects (or metaphors) and viewpoints. The WorldToolKit library is fully described in the WorldToolKit Reference Manual, 1991, published by the Sense8 Corporation, Sausalito, incorporated herein by reference.
Money managers and financial analysts must absorb large quantities of financial information and pick out trends in this information.
Money manager's and financial analysts often simultaneously view several computer screens watching data come in from a wide variety of sources in real-time and from other sources that are performing calculations on financial information. The money manager must determine movements in the market and other financial influences while making quick decisions. It is difficult, however, to view numerical data from many sources in real-time to notice overall trends and to consider the distinct underlying characteristics of each security in ones portfolio. Even if the information is displayed in graphical form on each computer screen, trends that concern all sources are difficult to spot. It is also difficult to visualize the behavior of all the dimensions underlying individual security elements.
Trading firms and investment houses use personal computers to create graphical maps and charts as metaphors of their portfolio holdings. Many of these do not use real-time data inputs. Advanced firms use decision-support systems that allow traders on the floor to monitor real-time incoming data using complex graphical models. Money managers and analysts use spreadsheets and graphs to understand financial information and trends. For example, a common system used for financial visualization is the wingZ graphical spreadsheet program. Another is the PV-Wave data i analysis program. Such programs cannot display many different elements with unique characteristics at the same time or display embedded dimensions, interactive three-dimensional animations or multiple visual cues, especially cues that are independent of each other.
Financial trading groups, for example stock and commodity brokers and foreign exchange traders, receive continuous streams of data via communications links information providers such as Reuters and Dow Jones. Spreadsheets and two and three dimensional graphs have been used to display segments of this data, but only a very limited segment of data is able to be displayed at any one time and the trader is unable to see trends across wide segments and dimensions of data. Further, graphical representation are more likely than tabular representations to show patterns and irregularities, because humans are much better at pattern and scene recognition than at number processing and comparison. However, a two dimensional or a three dimensional graph is limited in the amount of information that can be, displayed and the amount of information a user can interact with.
Analytic programs now in use do not enable the user to view trends in large amounts of financial information in a superior graphical form while at the same time have the ability to view highly detailed data about specific items of this information. Current user interfaces and display techniques for large quantities of financial information are limited. A money manager is unable to "immerse" himself or herself into financial data representing many world markets and manipulate this data graphically. In particular, money managers and financial analysts currently can not use virtual reality techniques to analyze financial data.
It is known in the art to use virtual reality to model real world objects. For example, virtual reality has been used to create software applications that let architects "view" interiors of buildings and then enable a disabled person to "move" through the building to see if the design is satisfactory. Virtual reality has also been used to implement games that allow a user play-act within a virtual reality world, to enable a pilot to simulate flying an aircraft, to allow a surgeon to simulate a difficult operation and to allow a user to simulate visiting an art museum.
The use of virtual reality to allow a money manager or financial analyst (or other information professional) to view, manipulate, structure and travel through a three dimensional virtual reality world of financial information is not known. Nor is it known to use virtual reality techniques in combination with tools that carry out financial analysis, or to create artificial terrains where the boundaries of features of the terrain are related to the taxonomy of system that is being modelled.